Fall of the House of Usher
by crazymiko
Summary: A YxA timeline partially inspired by the works of Edgar Allen Poe though they bear no resemblence to them. Youji PoV on their evolving relationship.
1. Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

**Title: **Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

**Author: **Crazy Miko

**Chapter: **Oneshot

**Warnings:** None

**Pairings:** YoujixAya vaguely

**Summary:** Rainy nights are always depressing. Youji POV, dedicated to Nekojita.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Weiss Kreuz; it belongs to Koyasu Takehito among others.

Once Upon and Midnight Dreary

            What a quiet night, I've done nothing but sit on my couch and smoke. It's raining outside, normally that wouldn't stop me from going out but the streets are practically flooded. I'd rather not brave that mess just to arrive soaked and outfit ruined, a night in is good once in a while. The Koneko is so quiet; Omi's over at a classmate's house to study and Ken is somewhere. I have no idea where he goes to brood; I just hope it's indoors. It's just me and Aya tonight and I haven't seen him since dinner. I think he's in his room doing whatever it is he does. I'm getting bored, there's not much to do here. Nothing is on TV and calling a girl is out of the question with Aya still around. In a way I'm glad he's here, if I had the house to myself I would probably do something I'd regret in the morning. I've gotten enough lectures from Manx on how big a security risk it is to bring my dates home.

            Aya's playing his music again, it's very haunting sounding. He's upset about something; he only listens to that when he's brooding. Rooming next to a guy with only a thin wall between you lets you learn more than you probably ever wanted to know about them. He's practicing with his sword now; I can hear his feet hit the floor in that almost annoying pattern. Every couple steps he stops and I can hear him make that "kyah" noise. I wonder what's bothering him this time; normally he doesn't practice and listen to music at the same time. It's not my place to be prying though; if he wants to talk he knows I'm next door.

            Listening to him is kind of soothing, the constant soft noise and music is making me a bit drowsy.  One, two, three…no four. He couldn't have stopped; he always finishes his steps before stopping. A soft thud from Aya's room answers my question, he fell. Why did he fall? Aya never falls, and on the rare occasions he does it's never when he's practicing. He must be okay though, I can hear him stand up and walk across his room to put his sword up. He turned his music off too, where's he going now? His door just opened and shut. He knocks softly on my door after a moment and I tell him to come in. He's holding sword arm close to his body and carrying the first aid kit in his left hand. I take the kit from him and tell him to sit on the bed. He does so silently while I find the bandages. He tells me he cut himself when he fell, he doesn't know how he managed to slice his wrist so deep though. I say he must be losing his touch and begin to bandage the bleeding appendage. The cut is very deep; if I hadn't heard him fall I would think it was self inflicted.

            When I finish he looks at me and says thank you but doesn't move while I put the kit back together. He just sits on the bed and watches me as if he's trying to make some decision. I put the kit on my nightstand and sit next to him and wait. We sit there for a moment and then suddenly he sags beside me. I'm not sure how to handle this so I just rub little circles on his back as he trembles. He's chanting something softly; I can barely hear parts of it. He's apologizing but I don't know why, this is awkward. I just sit there and continue to rub his back and tell him that it's okay. After a while he calms down and leans against me. I finally ask him what's wrong and he tells me it's all his fault. He says he's sorry for all the missions that have gone wrong and he's sorry for bothering all of us. He apologizes for coming but doesn't leave. He just continues to apologize to everyone he has ever met. I can hear him say sorry to Sakura and Ouka along with Aya-chan. He's sorry for every injury we have suffered. Its not like they were his fault, none of what he's babbling about is his fault. I don't say that though, I just let him talk. He tells me about his family and his sister, and then he talks about Weiss. Abruptly he stops and looks at me, as if realizing that I was there.

            We sit in silence for a moment, my hand still rubbing his back. He sits up straight and casts a panicked look in my direction. I move over and hold up my hands in front of me in an attempt to be non-threatening. He exhales and his eyes lose that trapped look. I scoot back beside him and ask him to explain why he was apologizing. He starts shaking again, I'm almost afraid that he's going to have a breakdown. He gives me a short answer about him being responsible, when I look into his eyes to gauge the truth of what he's saying he starts to explain in fuller detail. I cut him off after the first sentence and hold him close to me. I don't want him to tell me any more than he has, I don't want him to regret this in the morning. He wraps his arms around my waist and cries onto my shoulder. Every once in a while there is a muffled apology until he's so exhausted he doesn't have the strength to pull away. I wonder what set him off but now is not the time to pry; he can tell me if he wants.

            Slowly, I pull away from him and turn down the covers on my bed. He protests weakly as I pick him up and put him in the center of my big bed. I smile indulgently and tuck him in like a child while I make a remark about how he keeps ending up in my bed. He glares at me but his eyes quickly drift close and he lets out a small sigh of contentment. Thinking he is asleep I turn away only to have him call my name. I turn around and he asks me to stay, he flinches when I laugh. I walk back over to the bed and slide under the covers beside him. He wraps his arms so tightly around me I fear for my safety. He breathes softly on my chest as he whispers for me not to leave him. I don't think he realizes it's me anymore. I just hold him while he sleeps. He looks pretty lying there, I would chance to guess that he has a few abandonment issues. I still don't know what set him off. I wonder if it was the house being so empty and quiet, I wouldn't have thought anyone else was around if I hadn't seen Aya.

            I just lay there and stare at my ceiling; I can't fall asleep with Aya there. I don't really mind though, it gives me some time to think. It's not the fact that Aya is a guy that keeps me from sleeping; it's the fact that it's Aya. Out of the three I thought he'd be the last to come to me to be held. Omi and Ken have come into my room before, there's no denying how soothing another person's touch can be. Absently, I stroke Aya's hair, it's so soft. He mumbles in his sleep and tries to bury his face deep into my chest. I'm just glad he isn't having a nightmare. 

            The rain stopped, I hadn't noticed that. The night creeps by slowly as I start to feel the effects of being awake for so long. I reposition Aya so his head is tucked under my chin. He automatically turns so his face is buried in the side of my neck. I bring a hand up to brush back his bangs before shutting my eyes. I only hope he isn't angry in the morning and pushes everything back inside. 

~~~~

            When I open my eyes I find my bed empty and my clock reading one in the afternoon. Aya's been gone for awhile, he had the morning shift today. I wonder why no one woke me up, my shift started an hour ago. I sit up to find a note on top of the covers, my name written in Aya's neat handwriting. I open it up and just find 'Thank You' written inside. I turn the note over a few times expecting to find more. I find nothing except for those two words. I leave the note on top of the first aid kit and go to the bathroom to freshen up. Aya must be covering for me down at the shop, I should hurry. I shower and dress in record time. I go straight down as soon as I button my jeans and stop only to grab a sandwich from the plate in the kitchen. When I get to the shop Aya looks at me before taking off his apron and going back upstairs. As he passes by I whisper 'You're Welcome', he nods and continues on his way. Ken looks at me strangely but I just grin and tease him about liking to coach soccer because he's a pedophile. Sense of normalcy restored I continue to do what I always do, flirt. I didn't get my reputation by waiting for dates to come to me; I earned it by getting the dates.

            After closing up I go into the kitchen where the other two are waiting, we're having a rare home cooked meal. Aya stands at the stove wielding a pair of cooking chopsticks like weapons. He pokes the meat viciously a few times before turning off the heat and placing the contents of the pot in a serving dish. I hope he was poking the meat to see if it was done and not to see if he could use those chopsticks to skewer me so there wouldn't be a mess on his sword. Omi and Ken talk excitedly during the meal and I interrupt every once in a while to make a comment that causes either one or both to blush. Aya sits as silent as usual while he meticulously eats his meal so none of the sauce gets on either him or the table. Aya excuses himself and carries his plate to the sink. Omi thanks him for the meal before he disappears up the steps. I hurriedly stuff the last few bits of meat and rice into my mouth before excusing myself. I walk up the steps only to find Aya waiting in front of my door. He steps aside and lets me open the door then follows me into my room. He sits down on the couch and gestures for me to sit also. I lean on my bed frame so I'm standing across from him.

            Aya looks around the room quickly; I think he's trying to plan an escape route in case whatever he's planning blows up in his face. He looks back at me and starts explaining. It's easier to understand him now; the rain had set him off last night. He had been fine until he looked out of the window and a car's headlights blinded him when they came around a corner. He had a flashback to the night his house had been blown up and a combination of that and Aya-chan's disappearance were too much for him. Once again he apologized for being bothersome; I say that he's more than made up for it by covering for me. I make a joke about how it would have been nice if he had been a girl though. To my surprise he cracks a small smile at that and replies that all the women must not want me now since my bed was empty in the first place. After that we just talk, Aya won't be quiet now; it's like he's trying to make up for all the times I attempted to have a conversation with him.

            We stay in my room until dinner, Aya and I decide to go out to eat. Ken and Omi look shocked when we tell them we're going out {to eat} together, Omi waves goodbye dumbly while Ken just stands there. Aya shakes his head a little then asks whose car we're taking. I tell him that we're taking the Seven and he nods and walks over to it. He buckles his seat belt while I start the car. We pull out onto the street and drive to one of my favorite places. It's a little American restaurant I used to go to with my dad when he was in Japan. It's on the list of places Kritiker suggests I stop frequenting but I don't care. The lady that runs it wouldn't tell a soul that she's seen me; she still thinks I'm in the private investigator business.  

            We have to park a block away, the spots in front of Jess' restaurant are always full. Jess' daughter seats us immediately when we go in, I guess you can say she is a childhood friend. Growing up it was always nice to have another half-American to talk to. She hands us the menus and winks at me before she flounces away, little dork probably thinks I'm taking Aya out on a date. In a sense I am but it's not a date date, just dinner. Aya scowls after he reads his menu and asks me why everything on it is either fried, covered in gravy, or both. I laugh and tell him Jess is from the southeastern part of the United States. He replies that must be why only foreigners are in here, none of it is real food. He looks at the menu again and settles on the fried trout. I've always wondered how she got the trout; they have to be farmed here. When I asked her she smiled and told me it was a secret, I think her relatives in the south ship them over. 

            After we order it becomes awkward, I don't think Aya's ever done this before. I bet before the explosion he just went to Shibuya with his friends to hang out and play games whenever he was feeling down. He stirs his tea; it's a little different from what he expected. Jess is a true southerner and therefore has iced tea all year round. I don't think Aya's ever had real ice tea before, personally, I hate the stuff. Aya stops and takes a tentative sip; he must like it because he takes a bigger one. He puts his tea down and turns to me, he asks if I've ever done that before. I ask him what he means and he says what I did last night. I tell him that everyone needs to be held once in a while, and that Omi and Ken have come to me before. He nods and looks down, then he asks who I go to when I feel like that. I leer at him and tell him that I've got plenty of lady friends to do that job and more. He snorts then asks me for the truth. Aya is pretty perceptive at times; I have to give him that. I sigh and tell him that some nights I just let alcohol do the work for me; I don't really have anyone who'll do be there for me. I could go to Omi or Ken but I want them to think I'm the one who can always offer comfort. He nods and then tells me his door is open; I smile at him and tell him that I'll bring beer.

            Our food comes and we eat in silence, it's not an awkward silence but a comfortable one. Aya and I have reached an agreement on last night in our own ways. I suppose by offering to do the same for me he's hoping to pay me back for the help. I'm just glad I could be there for him. I snicker when I see him scrap all the breading off his fish, I wonder what he has against breading the stuff. He scrapes it off everything, including Japanese dishes. After finishing about half of it he turns to me and says that Americans must be fat because of these big portions. After he looks at the bill he asks how Jess can charge so little and not go bankrupt, I say that I get a family friend discount. Aya makes an 'hmm' noise before pulling out his wallet to pay for his half of dinner. I try to protest but it's useless, Mary, Jess' daughter, has already taken Aya's money. 

            We leave the cozy restaurant behind and go walking, it's dry tonight and we need to work off such a rich meal. If it were up to Jess I'd be fat, she feeds me too well. I let Aya lead the way and he takes us to a tiny coffee shop I didn't know existed. When he enters the waitress greets him warmly and seats him at a small corner table that I'm chancing to guess is his usual spot. He waves the giggly waitress off after telling her to bring the usual and a cup of black coffee for me. He asks me about my family, about Jess, and anything about my life. There are no more secrets between us; he crossed that barrier last night. I never told Omi or Ken any of this; they are content to forget that they ever came to me. I tell him about my parents, I start on Jess and Mary after the waitress brings our coffee and tea. The coffee he ordered me is good, I wonder if I'm allowed to come back here. Aya just showed me his brooding place, am I welcome here when he goes off to think?

            The hours pass by quickly as we talk, I feel lighter than I have in a long time. The waitress reappears every so often to refill our cups; I think she has a crush on Aya. Finally she comes to us with a disappointed look to inform us that the shop is closing, Aya nods and hands her his credit card. She takes it away and leaves us to finish off the last of our drinks. When the waitress returns Aya's card we leave, the night is still young though. I take Aya to my brooding spot; I suppose it's only fair to reveal it to him. It's very near Jess'; the quiet bar is where I like to go when I'm not looking to score. I lead Aya to my favorite seats at the end of the bar; he looks around suspiciously as if expecting me to pull something. I order us a few weak drinks to nurse, I know he has to be as full as I am after Jess' and the coffee shop. The beer doesn't go over as well as the iced tea but I expected that. Aya's my opposite when it comes to food and drink. 

            The bar is very quiet tonight, just the regulars. No one ever comes here except to forget something. Aya slowly relaxes and just shares the companionable silence with me. There's some soft music playing in the background that reminds me of Aya's stuff. I'm really enjoying tonight, it's different than what I'm used to. For once I'm having fun without being smashed first. We sit for about an hour before Aya turns to face me. I take one last drag of my cigarette before stubbing it out and facing him. He says it is getting late and we should go back to the shop before Omi and Ken start worrying. We only said we were going out for a quick meal. I nod and pay for the drinks, when we step outside the streets are empty, everyone who's out now is in a different district. 

            It's a short walk to the Seven, and an even shorter drive home. I don't know why we even bothered to take the car out. All the lights are out, there's a note on the table saying that Omi went with a classmate to see a late night movie and Ken is off to where ever again. Aya throws away a note while I hang up my keys on the rack over the counter. We just stand in the kitchen, Aya asks where we go from here. I tell him anywhere he wants. He nods and tells me goodnight before going up to his room. I say goodnight to the empty kitchen before turning the light back off and going to my own room. I lie in my bed and listen to Aya practice, the last thing I hear is a 'kyah' before I roll over to sleep.


	2. In a Kingdom by the Sea

**Title: **In a Kingdom by the Sea

**Author: **Crazy Miko

**Chapter: **N/A

**Warnings:** Potential yaoi, OOC Aya 

**Pairings:** YoujixAya

**Summary:** A week after spending the night with an upset Aya, Youji takes the opportunity to press for something more. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Weiss Kreuz; it belongs to Koyasu Takehito among others. The titles and any further references to the works of Edgar Allen Poe are his property.

In a Kingdom by the Sea 

It's been a week since I spent the night with Aya. He hasn't said anything one way or another on it, he's just been acting like it never happened. All he's done this week is stay in his room and listen to his music. He won't listen to that one song though, every time it comes up on his CD player he turns it off. I think he's still upset about that night, afraid that losing face once will change my opinion on him. To be truthful it did, but not in a bad way like he's worried about. It just helped me see that there was a little more to him than what he decides to show us on occasion. Fortunately or unfortunately it also made me realize that I like what I see. I like Aya, more than I thought I ever would. It's like I'm meeting him all over again, and this time I'm falling in love with the idiot. I can't push him though; I told him he would decide where to take things.

~~~~~

            After his shift Aya walks over to me and gives me a searching look before making that 'hn' sound of his and going up to his room. I grin, that's as much of an invitation that Aya ever gives anyone. I take the stairs two at a time so I can get to his room quicker. I knock on his door and he tells me it's unlocked. I let myself in, he's sitting in his chair by the window, and one of his books lie closed in his lap. He crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow, clearly wondering why I took him up on his unspoken invitation. Idiot, doesn't he know I've been waiting all week for it? I lean on the door frame and ask if he wants to come to dinner with me, my date cancelled and I don't want to waste the reservations. He thinks it over and uncrosses his arms before nodding yes and picking up his book. I wink at him even though he doesn't see it and tell him that I'll meet him in the kitchen at seven. He makes a noncommittal noise before turning a page in his book. I wish he would just say when he wants me to leave; I hate this type of dismissal.

~~~~

            Maybe I should have made up a different story, I'm sure Touma had to pull a lot of strings to get me this reservation. I really owe the guy; I can't just keep blackmailing him every time I need something. Well, I could, but I'm running out of material. I hope Aya appreciates this though; most of my dates never get taken to a nice seaside restaurant. But, I meet most of them at clubs. I'm going to stop that train of thought right now, it's getting nowhere. Aya's already in the kitchen by the time I get down there. Judging by his expression he didn't know I owned something besides my work clothes and clubbing clothes. I think I'm offended, how could I be such a great playboy if I don't know how to wine and dine my dates? I say that to Aya and he snorts, I think that's his version of a laugh.

            I take my keys off the rack but he tells me to wait, he wants to take his car tonight. I nod and put my keys back, this is all up to Aya. I comment on his outfit as he takes his keys off the rack. He looks skeptical, wondering if I'm just feeding him lines no doubt. I flash him one of my best smiles and ask he how he's healing. He looks confused for a moment until I say I was asking about his wrist. He says it's almost healed; the cut wasn't as deep as it seemed. When I look again I can see a bit of a bandage peeking out from his sleeve, I don't believe him for a minute. It was a very deep cut, it couldn't have healed completely by now, and the bandage proves it. Well, it could have, but not with the way Aya takes care of things. The man has no regard for his health besides the very basics, it's a wonder he hasn't caused himself irreversible damage yet.

            We get in his car and he switches on the radio. For once Aya obeys the speed limit and the traffic laws; I feel my chances of living to see tomorrow dramatically increase. Aya doesn't talk, occasionally he looks at me in the mirror but he stays quiet. I debate on whether or not I'm allowed to smoke in his car. Aya knows what I'm thinking; he glares at me when I reach for my lighter. I sigh and lean back into the soft seat, Aya is so uptight. A little smoke won't hurt the leather. The drive is uneventful; the car would be silent without the radio's unintelligible mumbling. Every time I open my mouth to say something, nothing comes out. I'm not sure how to start a meaningless conversation with Aya; he's not much of a person for small talk. I don't really know what interests him either, I don't really know that much about him come to think of it. I mean, I know the basics and a few things here and there. I just don't know how much I can push Aya.

            Aya pulls into one of the spots on the far side of the parking lot, probably hoping that since no one wants to park there no one will hit his car. I think he loves that car almost as much as his sister, I could swear he was talking to it the time I passed by when he was cleaning the interior. I know for a fact that he orders special leather cleaner from the dealership to clean the seats with. I get out and he locks the door, even the beep the alarm makes sounds perfect if not a little different. I'm willing to bet he has all sorts of "special" security on that car. We walk inside and a hostess materializes from no where to ask for our reservation. I give her my name and she looks down to scan her list. Finding my name penciled in on the bottom she nods and leads us to our table. She takes us to the quieter area of the restaurant and seats us by the window. I really need to thank Touma, as soon as I have time I'll send him a nice gift.

            I sort of wish I could take Aya to Jess' again but I want his first real date to be enjoyable. Omi told me this place was Aya's favorite, how he found out I'll never know. The chibi has methods that us mere mortals cannot even begin to fathom. Aya looks very interested in the menu, probably comparing it to what it was when he was here last. Places like this change their menu as often as I change my clothes. I can't understand why people like to come to this type of place on a regular basis. It's sort of expensive, crawling with upper middle class, and the food is just as good as somewhere like Jess'. But, if this is what Aya likes this is what Aya will get.

            Abruptly, Aya puts down his menu and asks me what I want from him. I smile and tell him I'll take whatever he'll give me. He gives me one of those really penetrating looks of his before raising his menu again. He's hiding his face from view; I guess he doesn't want me to see his expressions while he puzzles through what I said. I suppose he has reason, one of my smarter girlfriends once said that the words of a playboy are cheap. Aya's probably deciding whether or not he thinks I'm making another joke. My reputation precedes me it seems, this time I wish it hadn't.

            We order and I try once again to make small talk with Aya, he just nods and sips on the complementary tea the waitress had brought us when she came. I give up on it after a few minutes; Aya just turns and watches the ocean with a hint of a small on his face. I haven't had such an awkward date since high school; I just don't know how to handle a date with such a quiet person. Last week didn't really count, that was more of a night out with a friend. Actually, it's kind of strange in a way. To think that two of Weiss were gay or bisexual, may there is something to that florist stereotype. Maybe it's the whole teammate relationship thing that's making this so awkward.

            I wonder what the kids are up to, Ken mentioned a game but Omi's plans are a mystery. He didn't tell anyone what his plans were for tonight, he's probably going out with that classmate of his again. Omi must be having a high school crush, how cute. The chibi probably doesn't want us to know he's seeing someone, but a kid can only 'study' with a friend so much before it becomes suspicious. Well, I just hope he's having better luck than I am with his date. I wish I had taken Aya dancing, I'd think he'd be good at it with all his sword stuff. Too bad I don't know if Aya likes to dance, it would have been more awkward if I took him and he didn't.

            Our food finally comes, Aya ordered fish again. He almost looks happy when he begins to cut the fillet into small evenly sized pieces. He places the first bite in his mouth and his eyes droop a little as he slowly chews it. He must have really missed this place; I'll have to remember that. I suppose with his sister he doesn't really have the money to be eating at a place like this all that often on top of maintaining his Porsche like he does. My food is good, but I still like Jess' cooking better. I ask him how his meal is and he says that it is very good. After that there is yet another awkward silence before he asks me how my steak is. I tell him that it needs to be fried and covered in gravy, he looks absolutely disgusted. Aya stabs at his fish with his fork and mutters something about Americans and confused half-breeds. Aya's sense of humor must be rubbing off on me; I wouldn't have found it funny if anyone else had referred to me as a 'half breed'.

            The rest of the dinner passes with some light conversation about music and other such topics. Aya becomes noticeably more relaxed as the meal wears on and he starts to be comfortable around me. I wave the waitress over and hand her my card, this time Aya can't pay for himself. The little jerk doesn't understand that I want to pay for him when I invite him out like this. Aya glares at me though his gaze is lacking its usual venom. He finishes off the last pieces of his fish and the waitress brings back my card. We walk out of the restaurant and I catch Touma sending me a thumbs up from near the kitchen. For all the things I put the man through he really is a great friend to have. We get into Aya's car but he doesn't turn the key in the ignition. He turns to me and asks what I want to do now; it's too early to be going back to the Koneko. For a moment I consider giving the directions to one of my favorite clubs but instead I settle on a movie. Might as well follow the cliché, Aya would probably enjoy it more. 

            Aya drives us to one the more popular theaters for teenagers, probably the only place he went to with Aya-chan. He probably was very indulgent and sat through all the sappy love stories his little sister wanted to see. I trail behind him and let him chose the movie, he picks one of the new action films. I was afraid he was going to pick a romance; he stared at the poster advertising them for a minute, probably remembering Aya-chan. He pays for both our tickets, now I get to protest. I asked him out, not the other way around. I satisfy myself with buying us some snacks though, what's a movie without some American buttery popcorn? We sit in the near the back, sandwiched in between the kids making out and those who actually want to see the movie. This showing is crowded, but Aya and I managed to keep three seats on each side of us empty. The movie is the standard imported Hollywood fare, complete with love interest and bordering on cheesy dramatic music. Neither of us are really watching it, we spend the entire movie pointing out flaws in the fight sequences…well, I point them out and Aya nods every once in awhile. Occasionally he comments on something but he seems perfectly content to sit back and watch the show. I guess he hasn't seen a movie since the explosion.

            The rest of the movie is actually kind of fun, Aya almost smiled when I started throwing some popcorn at the couple a few rows in front of us making out. If they're going to make out they could at least have the decency to go to the back row, then people like me wouldn't be tempted to interrupt them. I have very good aim; they never knew where it came from. Aya holds up his hand for me to stop and picks a piece of popcorn out of the bag I'm holding. He closes one eye and sends the popcorn flying, it sticks in the boy's hair where he can't see it. I snicker and get a piece and launch it at the girl. Now we're competing to see who can get the most popcorn on the couple before they notice. I bet Aya used to do this when he went out with his friends, why else would he know how to throw popcorn? After we exhaust half of the bag, the couple finally notices when an errant kernel hit the girl's cheek. I shouldn't be throwing stuff at teenagers but it's too much fun and Aya's enjoying it. The girl gasped when she saw her boyfriend and dragged him out of the theater; they'll be picking the popcorn out of their hair for hours. 

            We both leave the movie in a good mood; I do impressions of the girl to amuse Aya. He suppresses a smile and asks if I had anything else planned. I wink at him and ask what kind of plans he's talking about. He gives me what passes as an exasperated look for him and says he meant are we going anywhere else. While leering at him I say that there are many places we can go and many things we could do. I don't want to annoy him that much though, so I stop and ask if he wants to go get some ice cream. He says that's fine and I lead him to a little shop I'm sure he knows well. When we get there it's packed with the same people that were in the movie with us, even the couple is sitting at a booth and trying to salvage their date. The girl missed one, there's a piece of popcorn stuck on the dead center of the back of her head. I snicker and point it out to Aya, he smirks and points out the boy missed a few. I guess he won that game then, oh well. After we're served, we take our ice cream outside and eat it while we walk. Aya digs his spoon into his cup green tea ice cream while I eat my chocolate from a cone. I wish he had gotten a cone; it's funny to watch him try and eat them. 

            I'm not sure how long we've been walking, we finished our ice cream awhile ago and now we're just wandering around. A lot of things are closed now, there's not much to do. I don't think Aya wants to go home yet either, I've just got to think of somewhere else we can go. A neon sign catches my eye and I pull Aya in its direction, I may be able to weasel some clubbing out of this yet. Aya points out that we're not dressed right for such an activity but I tell him this isn't one of the clubs I normally go to, it's more or less a bar with some dancing. I tell him what we're wearing is fine. Aya hns but allows me to drag him inside. It's not really a club, it's sort of a bar that added a dance floor and became a popular hangout. I wave to a few friends as I lead Aya to one of the quieter corners. The bartender calls out when we walk past the bar, you can only drink so much before you have to make friends with them. I wave back at him and tell Aya to sit in the seat on the end. He does so grudgingly, but he does it. The fact he hasn't stormed out is enough for me, he has to be enjoying this on some level.

            Aya sips his drink quietly while I tell him about the bar and some of the people here. Occasionally he points to someone in the crowd and ask that's who I'm talking about. He's surprisingly accurate; he's 3 for 5 so far. This was a good night to come; they've been playing most of my favorites. Maybe I can get Aya out there in a little while. It's not like this is the first time we've ever done something together. He has to like me enough to let me have a dance, right? Besides, why else would I drag him in here? Aya's smart, I'm sure he's figured it out by now.

            Aya sighs when I ask him to dance, but he gets off the stool and follows me onto the floor. It's a full house tonight so he's forced to stay close to me if he doesn't want to get lost. I pull him into one of the less crowded corners and start dancing. He gives me a look that's a cross between amusement and exasperation. I tell him to loosen up and go with the music, but Aya just looks at me. Good naturedly I pick up Aya's hands and move them in time to the music while drawing him closer to me. He growls and snatches them away from me and starts to move while trying to pick out the beat. Finding it, he begins to dance opposite of me and mimicking my moves. His steps are kind of hesitant, but I guess that's because he hasn't danced since the explosion. An experienced dancer like me can tell that he'd be good if he practiced regularly. 

            Time flies when you're having fun as the saying goes. I picked up so many pointless English phrases from my dad its shocking. My friends laugh whenever I accidentally let one slip; they tend to ruin the suave playboy image.  But hey, how many of them can say those phrases with nearly accent less English. Being familiar with some American sayings has helped a great deal when I dated foreigners.  Anyway, Aya lets me keep him on the dance floor for about two hours before he rather forcibly pulls me away from it. I guess he just remembered that enjoying himself goes against everything he's ever done to drive us away. Jerk, I was having fun too.

            We walk back to the car in silence. The streets are pretty empty and quiet except for the occasional pachinko parlor. Dating Aya is weird, he can't make up his mind on whether or not he's allowed to enjoy himself. This is probably going to lead to the longest string of intimacy-less dates I've had since high school. Then again, even if I didn't leave the pace up to Aya he'd still either ignore me or skewer me if I crossed certain lines. Tonight's been productive though, I got to see some more of what Aya was like before he joined up with Kritiker. Contrary to what some may think you can't "forget" who you were for most of your life; you only bury them. Aya did a shoddy job of burying Ran, he shows through a lot more than Aya likes to think. I think I'm the only one who notices, Omi and Ken don't really try to push past the first layer of prickliness that is Aya's usual self. But, they're busy enough with their own life that poking their noses into Aya's is not something they want to do. Aya indirectly dragged me into this, but I'm not complaining about it.

            The ride home is a little bit more exciting, Aya asks me if this is what I wanted. I tell him once again that I want whatever he'll give me. He looks confused and doesn't say anything but I don't want to drop the subject quite yet. I turn so I'm facing him and he watches me carefully out of the corner of his eye. I ask him why he wants to know what I want; why does it matter to him. He doesn't answer so I keep pressing. I ask him what he wants from this then lean back in my seat and look at him triumphantly as he tries to think of an answer. He doesn't say anything before we pull into the garage, then he tells me that he isn't sure what he wants. I shake my head and get out of the car, this is better than I expected. 

            I follow him up to his room and he stands in front of his door and asks if there was something else I wanted. I pretend to think it over a moment before grinning and leaning down to give him a quick goodnight kiss followed shortly with a very hasty retreat to my own room. I know I crossed a line there but I couldn't let the opportunity go, that little gesture of affection will give Aya something to chew on for the next couple weeks while he figures out this relationship we have going. After a minute I finally hear Aya swear and slam his door. His reaction time needs work. It's not long before he has his katana out and he's slicing at the air with a vengeance, probably imagining it's me. I'll have to make myself scarce in the morning; Aya's usual isn't rational until about two days or so after an incident. This is perfect timing though, I've been meaning to go out and run errands.

**~~End In a Kingdom by the Sea~~**

I am ashamed of this fic but the timeline must go on. This fic was originally meant for a fanzine but seeing as nothing had happened and Nekojita as already posted her submission I figured this one was overdue. I apologize for the probable drop in quality but this is one of my earlier writings and I did not want to tamper with it too much.


End file.
